If the Milwaukee Bucks want Jalen Duren, they must cough up assets that would satisfy the Detroit Pistons. In his latest article, Yahoo! Sports' Kevin O'Connor came up with a mock deal that involved sending Myles Turner and Jaime Jaquez Jr. to Detroit for Duren. While Turner would have to go in whatever sign-and-trade framework, trading Jaquez would be a mistake.
Bucks must look to keep Jaquez
Should Jaquez be off the table entirely in any trade scenario? No. For the right return, it would make sense for the Milwaukee Bucks to dangle him on the market. However, they should absolutely look to keep him if they can. Jaquez is one of the prominent players on breakout watch this coming season and could become a legitimate high-level option in no time.
After primarily coming off the bench during his first three seasons, Jaquez looks poised to start for the Bucks at small forward. With a contract extension likely coming depending on how he performs, he should be fired up. If he seizes the opportunity and builds off last season's success, who knows; perhaps he could end up in Most Improved Player talks.
Trading that player, even if it's for an All-Star in Duren, would be a tough pill to swallow. Instead, the Milwaukee Bucks must look to keep him and find an alternative.
Bucks should offer Green, not Jaquez
As O'Connor mentions, the Bucks could swap marksman AJ Green in this fake deal alongside Turner, and it would still be legal. From many standpoints, that makes far more sense for Milwaukee and even a little bit for Detroit.
First, Green is a guard, and Milwaukee has too many as is. Moving Green would open up more time for Gary Trent Jr., who needs a prominent role to justify the Bucks' controversial contract extension from the summer. It also wouldn't hurt to free up guard minutes for youngsters like Kasparas Jakucionis and Brayden Burries rather than keeping them buried deep on the bench.
Second, there is a strong chance Detroit would like to get Green, given that they could use an elite shooter to complement rising wing Ausar Thompson. Jaquez would be a clunky fit with Thompson and the Pistons due to his non-existent outside jumper. Maybe they could nudge the Pistons into taking Green by making him out to be a better fit.
If the Pistons are willing to talk, a package centered around Turner, Green, and draft capital might not sound so bad if this saga continues.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.
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